Air conditioning supply and return register for parked automobiles



Feb. 23, 1960 w la JR 2,925,768

AIR CONDITIONING SUPPLY AND RETURN REGISTER FOR PARKED AUTOMOBILES Filed Dec. 11, 1956 INVENTOR. Egg ar :1 ENVEib afl' lr. BY

7M ZJ. bwv i/n. A GEN T United States Patent AIR coNnrrroNnst; SUPPLY AND RETURN EG- ISTER FOR PARKED, AUTOMOBILES Bayard E. Weihert, Jr., Roswell, N. Mex. Application December 11, 1956, Serial No. 627,634 1 Claim. (Cl. 98-2) This invention relates to improvements in the art of ventilation and to an improved system for conditioning the air in a variable number of spaced enclosures such as occupied automobiles more or less remotely parked at random in designated spaces on a drive-in restaurant or drive-in theatre parking lot. More specifically, the invention concerns an improved combination supply and return register for a two pipe air conditioning system of the character just described.

An important object of the invention is to provide, in a system of the character described, means that will economically distribute air in a variable number of more or less remotely spaced enclosures and provide for partial use of the system without varying air quantities under partial loads.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a supply and return register with a combined damper plate and by-pass arrangement.

The invention also aims to provide a supply and return register of the character described with an air director that may be adjusted to coact with the damper plate and by-pass arrangement so as to reduce turbulence in the register.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, and in which drawing Fig. 1 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view partly in end elevation and partly in vertical cross section showing a two-pipe air conditioning system for a drive-in restaurant or theatre and illustrating the use of my improved register.

Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation of my improved register with its damper plate open.

Fig. 3 is a central vertical sectional view of the register substantially on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2 and showing its association with adjacent portions of an automobile window.

Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary top plan views of the register with portions broken away and shown in horizontal section, and illustrating by arrows the flow of air through the register with the damper plate respectively open and closed.

In the drawing, which for the purpose of illustration shows only a preferred embodiment of the invention, and wherein similar reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the views, the numeral generally designates a suitable air conditioning system having a central unit 11 which may include a filter 12, fan 13 and a furnace heat exchanger 14. The system 10 also includes air supply and return mains 15, 16 extending to a multiplicity of more or less remote stations, distributed over the automobile parking lot 17, such as station 18, where risers 19, 20 connect with one or more pairs of flexible supply and return branch ducts 21, 22. In the example shown, the air supply and return mains 15, 16 are buried in the ground as is customary for drive-in shown in Fig. 3. i

Fastened to the face plate 25: as by sheet metal screws 32 is an annular frame 33 encircling the exhaust port 24 and holding a screen 34 thereover. Similarly fastened to the face plate 25 is an annular frame 35 rotatably mounting a circular louver or air deflector plate 36 over the inlet port 23. This circular plate 36 is provided with suitably curved fins 37 that direct incoming air laterally in a direction depending on the angular setting of the manually adjustable plate 36.

The upper and lower walls 27, 28 of the register box, together with opposite end walls 38, 39, define a nominally open side 40 located during use of the register within the automobile 41 or other enclosure. Mounted for swinging movement between open and closed positions relative to the nominally open side 40 of the register box 26, as by a hinge 42 having its axis lengthwise of the lower wall 28, is a rectangular damper plate 43 having a felt edge seal 44. The damper plate 43 may be spring hinged ofi center so as to be biased toward either of two rest positions: down as shown in Fig. 2 or up as in dicated by broken lines in Fig. 3.

Fixed on the upper wall 27 of the register box 26 is a snap catch 45 assuring positive closing and a tight fit of the damper plate 43 when the register 26 is not in use.

To operatively associate the register box 26 with the car 41, an attendant lifts the shut device 26 from a hanger bracket 46, opens the damper plate 43 and fits the device 26 in the car window. Use of the air conditioning system 10 is discontinued by reversing the just described procedure.

It will be observed that when the damper plate 43 is open, inlet air flow indicated by the arrows at the right side of Fig. 4 enters the conditioned space through the air deflector 36 and return air flows, as indicated by the arrows at the left side of Fig. 4, through the exhaust port 24 and return duct 22 thus completing the normal circulated air cycle. Referring now to Fig. 5 wherein the damper plate 43 is shown closed, the operation of the combined damper and by-pass feature will now be described. Here, air flow to the conditioned space is stopped and, as indicated by the arrows, is directly bypassed to the return duct 24. If desired, turbulence within the register box may be reduced by adjustment of the air deflector 36 so as to direct incoming air toward the exhaust port 24. The inside dimensions of the register box 26 are of magnitudes suflicient to permit full flow of air between the inlet and exhaust ports 23, 24 when the damper plate 43 is closed.

From the foregoing description it will be evident that there has been disclosed an improved means for selectively providing supplies of tempered air to a variable number of more or less remote enclosures such as parked automobiles and a return from the same to a central unit through a system of air ducts.

Various changes may be made in the form of invention herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the following claim.

I claim:

In a system for conditioning the air in a variable number of parked cars each having a sidewall equipped with C mPa t ented Feb. 23, 19 0.

a. r A

3 a Window opening, said air conditioning system including supply and return mains and, for each one of said cars, a branch supply duct, a branch return duct and a register box removably fitting in the window opening of said one car in a substantially seal tight manner, said register box includin an outside wall provided with inlet and exhaust ports connected to said supply and return ductsrespectively and also including upper, lower and opposite end walls "terminating in marginal edges defining a nominally open side within said car and a damper plate hinged to the marginal edge of said lower wall and movable between an open position in which the downwardly depending damper plate overhangs the car sidewall and a closed position in which the upswung damper plate covers said open side whereby said register box and therefore said supply and return ducts communicate with said one car enames ra, a 5

I for conditioning the air therein when said damper plate is in said open position and whereby said register box conducts air between said supply and return ducts to maintain circulation independently of said one car when the damper plate is in said closed position, the inside dimensions of said register box being of sulficient magnitude to permit substantially unrestricted air flow from the inlet port to the exhaust port when the damper plate is closed. 7

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,708,867 Turner Ma 24, 1955 2,709,953 Engle et al. June 7, 1955 2,746,372 Smith et al May 22, 1956 

